Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The Council of Defense Ministers of the Member States discussed EU support to Ukraine with a focus on the situation on the ground. According to a European statement issued in Brussels on Tuesday evening, Josep Borrell, the High Coordinator for Security and Foreign Policies, informed the European Union defense ministers about the work of the European Military Assistance Mission in Support of Ukraine (EUMAM), which will train more than 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers by mid-June, and is likely to reach A target of 30,000 before the end of 2023.
He also briefed the Council on the support the European Union has allocated to Ukraine under the European Peace Facility, which now amounts to €5.6 billion, and encouraged EU member states to deliver military equipment with a total value of nearly €10 billion.
In this context, the proposal for an eighth support package of €500 million under the European Environment Fund is currently under discussion. This new package will lead to the need for an additional €3.5 billion increase in the European Monetary Fund, which aims to ensure continued support for Ukraine, while at the same time sustaining the global ambition of the European Peace Facility.
In connection with the three-track ammunition package announced on March 20, the Council has already approved €2 billion to support the joint delivery and procurement of artillery and missiles within the target of delivering one million rounds of artillery ammunition to Ukraine over the next twelve months.
Under the first track, the EU requires member states to supply ammunition and missiles from existing stocks or to re-prioritize existing orders, so that they do not have to wait for more ammunition to be produced.
Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said today that thanks to this specific route, Member States have provided 220,000 artillery ammunition of various calibers, and 1,300 missiles have also been provided. This first track will be open until May 31st and I think we will hit our target. Member states will have until July to announce deliveries of artillery and missile ammunition.
With regard to the second track, that is, the joint purchase of ammunition from the European defense industry and Norway, 8 out of 24 countries that joined the European Defense Agency (EDA) project confirmed their intention to purchase 155-mm ammunition through the EDA. In parallel, complementary pilot country projects are being implemented, in particular led by France and Germany.
On the third track, that is, increasing the production capacity of the European defense industry, the Commission recently put forward a proposal to subsidize ammunition production, which is called the ASAP regulation.